Please note that the telephone
number listed in the December issue for making room reservations at the Anatole
Hotel in Dallas for the 2006 convention cannot be used. Reservations will only
be accepted at (214) 761-7500, which is the number for the Dallas facility.
The Anatole has recently become a Hilton property. We regret the confusion caused
by corporate wheeling and dealing. Consult the convention summary at the front
of this issue for up-to-date information about room reservations and convention
preregistration.

First Call for
Braille Books:

Donate your gently used
but no longer needed Twin Vision™ books to the 2006 Braille Book Flea Market,
sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille. Books should be in good
condition. Cookbooks and Twin Vision books suitable for children are badly needed.
We still have many books left from last year on other subjects. In other words,
this year all we need are Twin Vision books and cookbooks.

In a few months we will
have a local address in Texas where you can send the Braille books you wish
to donate. Begin your search through the boxes in your basement and spare room,
and get them ready for shipping. If you have any questions, contact Peggy Chong
at (515) 277-1288 or email at <[email protected]>. Look for a Braille
Book Flea Market update in the Braille Monitor very soon.

Elected:

The following were elected
to the NFB of Pennsylvania board of directors at the affiliate’s November convention:
president, Jim Antonacci; first vice president, Judy Jobes; second vice president,
Lynn Heitz; secretary, Connie Johnson; treasurer, Chuck Morgenstern; and members
of the board, Denice Brown, Rod Powell, and Mark Stracks. Harriet Go, Kristen
Jocums, and Cary Supalo continue to serve as board members for one more year.

Elected:

The Parents of Blind Children
of Michigan board of directors was recently elected. Members are president,
Sharon Darga; treasurer, Debi Marlow; secretary, Sharonda Greenlaw; and board
members, Cindi Dail and Tonya Erickson.

2006 National Federation
of the Blind Science Academy:

The NFB's National Center
for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS) is currently planning our 2006 Science Academy.
The Rocket On! session for high school students will be July 14 to 22, while
the Circle of Life session for middle school students will be July 29 to August
5. For more information or to apply to be a part of the Science Academy, visit
<http://www.nfb.org/nfbji/science_academy.htm>. Applications must be returned
by March 31, 2006. For more information contact the Education Department at
the Jernigan Institute at (410) 659-9314.

Elected:

The Des Moines Chapter
of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa held its annual election on
January 14, 2006, with the following results: president, Michael D. Barber;
vice president, Al Bickell; secretary, Cindy Ray; treasurer, Roger Erpelding;
and board members Joy Harris, Merry-Noel Chamberlain, and Sandi Ryan.

In Brief

Notices and information
in this section may be of interest to Monitor readers. We are not responsible
for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.

New Uncontracted
Braille Scripture Book Available:

Touched by God's Word
is a collection of over 100 comforting scriptures taken from the New King
James Version of the Bible, compiled and translated by Sandy Price into an easy
format to help those who struggle with reading Braille. The contents are double
spaced and Brailled on one side only. It is spiral bound with a nice leatherette
cover. Available in jumbo uncontracted, standard uncontracted, and contracted
(Grade II) Braille. All translations are $14.95 each plus shipping and tax.
To order a book, call Sandy Price at (804) 550-3733 or email <[email protected]>.

Announcing an Accessible
World Symposium “The World of Work in the 21st Century”:

Don't miss the upcoming
online four-hour symposium with experts in the area of employment, hosted by
Talking Communities. You will hear professional pointers on job-seeking skills,
whether beginning or changing your career in today's workforce. Participants
will have an opportunity to ask questions of presenters. All you need is a computer
with a sound card and speakers. You may interact with presenters by either text
chat or a microphone. Consider having groups of students and individuals seeking
employment remotely view this symposium for advice and tips by placement specialists.

All symposia are free to
the public from anywhere in the world. Programs are also archived for those
who cannot attend the live events. To ensure you receive information about each
event, join the Accessible World Announce List. Go to <www.talkingcommunities.com/pat>.
Select the “subscribe to the announce list” link near the bottom of the page.
You will then be taken to a preaddressed message in your email client. Send
that message, and your name will automatically be added.

Did You Know?

A toll-free information
service is now available to all phone users in the United States. Federal, state,
and local government numbers are also available from the same source. The service
will even dial the number at no cost to the caller. Cell phone companies charge
$1 or more for 411/information calls. Instead, when you need to locate a phone
number, try dialing (800) FREE-411, (800) 373-3411. The only charge you will
incur is that for the cell phone minutes required to make the call.

Canadian Federation
on the Move:

We recently received the
following press release. It speaks for itself:

Victoria Children
Learn that Braille Is Beautiful
with Help from Times Colonist Grant

Members of the Canadian
Federation of the Blind (CFB) are teaching grade four students in School District
61 about Braille and about blindness through the Braille Is Beautiful education
and curriculum program.

"It was cool to learn
about how blind people do things just like us,” says a grade four student at
George Jay Elementary School.

"Braille is an essential
form of literacy for blind people—just as print is an essential form of literacy
for sighted people—and it should be a mandatory part of the education of blind
and visually impaired children," says Elizabeth Lalonde, CFB president.
"I had a bit of sight when I was young and, because of this, was not taught
Braille. This was a major mistake since print was next to impossible for me
to read," said Lalonde.

In the presentations blind
CFB members teach children about the importance of Braille and provide a hands-on,
interactive learning experience for the students. They also use the time to
send a positive message about blindness and the abilities of blind people.
"It's great for the kids because they get to be involved. They watch a
video about a blind person and get a chance to try Brailling their names and
the alphabet with a slate and stylus—equivalent to a pen and paper for sighted
people," says Lalonde.

The Canadian Federation
of the Blind received a grant from the Times Colonist Book Drive Disbursement
Fund as well as assistance from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB),
its sister organization in the United States. "The support from the Times
Colonist, and the National Federation of the Blind in the U.S. made it possible
for us to provide this valuable program to schools," said Lalonde. "It
is also great that our own members who are blind are doing the teaching. We
in the Federation believe the best way to give a positive message about blindness
is for blind people themselves to give the message."

The Braille Is Beautiful
program provides resources to the schools that teachers can use now and
in subsequent years. Every class gets a kit that includes a teacher's guide,
a video set, thirty sets of the student instruction book and workbook, a ream
of Braille paper, twelve sets of slates and styli, forty-eight paperback books
with real and fictional stories about Braille and living with blindness, thirty
Braille alphabet cards, a teacher's guide on teaching Braille writing with a
slate and stylus, and materials and instructions for doing Braille service projects.

"It was a wonderful
presentation. The children really enjoyed it and learned a lot. They just love
the slate and stylus and love to make Braille messages for me to figure out,
and all the resources the CFB provided are wonderful," said Tracey Chrystal,
grade four teacher at George Jay Elementary School.

The CFB has already taken
the Braille Is Beautiful program to George Jay and Gordon Head elementary
schools, and will visit James Bay, Northridge, Eagle View, Vickwest, and Frank
Hobbs between now and the end of the school year. They will go to James Bay
Elementary School on Tuesday, January 17.

The Canadian Federation
of the Blind is a grassroots nonprofit organization made up of blind people
committed to the equality and empowerment of blind Canadians. It is modeled
after the National Federation of the Blind in the United States, the largest
and most influential grassroots group of blind people in the world.

For more information about
the Braille Is Beautiful program and the Canadian Federation of the
Blind, contact:

The Sacramento Society
for the Blind is seeking several energetic and highly motivated counselors age
nineteen and over to work for its annual summer youth retreat. These individuals
will have to be not only self-directed, highly organized team players, but skilled
in areas of blindness. The youth retreat will be an approximate three-week commitment
in July 2006. Counselor training will take place prior to the camp, which spans
from July 17 to July 29. Stipends will be given for work performed as well as
any transportation costs incurred. For more information or an application please
contact Michelle Bruns at <[email protected]> or (916) 452-8271,
ext. 328.

Online Writers
Workshop:

Disabilities Task Force
Chairman Sanford Rosenthal of the National Writers Union At-Large Chapter is
launching a workshop project in mid March. It will be a weekly one-hour telephone
format that participants can access from their homes at a scheduled day and
time.

Writers will mentor aspiring
writers on writing and publishing. We all have stories to tell, which should
help to empower us all. Contact Sanford Rosenthal to get on the roster: <[email protected]>,
(954) 563-9449.

Monitor
Mart

The notices in
this section have been edited for clarity, but we can pass along only the information
we were given. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the statements made
or the quality of the products for sale.

For Sale:

Tina Hubley wishes to sell
a black-and-white and color CCTV. She is asking $1,200 or best offer. If interested,
contact Tina Hubley, 971 Bancroft Road, Weston, Maine 04424, phone (207) 448-2719.
If she does not answer, leave a message on her answering machine.

Hoping to Buy:

I am looking for a used
Braille Blazer Embosser made by Freedom Scientific. The new list price is $1,895,
but the most I can afford to spend is $900. If you can help me locate a used
Braille Blazer as soon as possible, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please contact
Melody Heath by email at <[email protected]>, by mail at 3237 Yanceyville
Street, Apartment 4-A, Greensboro, North Carolina 27405, home phone (336) 638-5287,
cell phone (336) 988-2835.

For Sale:

I have a
TeleTouch for sale. It is a mechanical device used with deaf-blind people mostly.
It is in perfect condition, and I'm asking $400 including shipping. Please call
(815) 654-3190, evenings; or email <[email protected]>.

NFB Pledge

I pledge to participate
actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality,
opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs
of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.